Dave Grohl’s ‘Play’ Film to Include 23-Minute Song

Play, a two-part mini-documentary by Dave Grohl, will be available for digital download and streaming on Aug. 10. Its centerpiece is a 23-minute song on which Grohl played seven instruments.

"Watching my kids start to play music and learn to sing or play drums, it brings me back to the time when I was their age listening to albums, learning from listening," He said in a press release. "And when I take my kids to the place where they take their lessons, I see these rooms full of children that are really pushing themselves to figure this out. And even now, as a 49-year-old man, I’m still trying to figure it out. … It’s not something that you ever truly master. You’re always chasing the next challenge, and you’re always trying to find a way to improve on what you’ve learned."

Play was directed by Grohl along with Mark Monroe, who also helped make Sound City and Sonic Highways. The first part of this new film consists of the Foo Fighters' frontman talking about the feelings one gets from making music and the "lifelong relationship" one can have with a musical instrument. He also incorporated footage of students at the Join the Band music school in San Francisco.

Watch a Snippet of Dave Grohl's 'Play'

The second half is the recording of the title song, where Grohl built the 23-minute track without any notated music or other written ideas, only what was in his head. Beginning with drums and working from there, he played each instrument for the duration – stopping, and restarting from the beginning, if he made a mistake or felt he could do better.

Grohl first teased the project back in May. “If I want to write a 25-minute instrumental, write all the music, play all the instruments, film it and then, guess what, maybe never even release it? I'll do it," he said. "Just because I can.”

The entire composition will be sold digitally on Aug. 10, with a limited-edition vinyl coming out on Sept. 28. Grohl is accepting pre-orders, complete with a t-shirt bundle, at the Foo Fighters' web store.